[IxDA Discuss] How to insult website visitors through copywriting

[Robert Barlow-Busch]

> Friendly software messages are overrated. I wish software was a little more
> opinionated and sassy.

Absolutely -- it makes life online a bit more interesting, at the very
least. It also taps into broader cultural trends, for instance the desire
for "authenticity". Neutral language doesn't feel quite as authentic
(presuming the sassy voice has been pulled off well).

Problems arise when a snippet of copywriting is incongruent with the site's
personality. IMHO, the "you have no friends" message from YouTube falls into
this category; it appears to have been written that way simply to be
consistent with other sections on the profile page.

-- 
Robert Barlow-Busch
Terapath Inc.
bbb at terapath.net
www.chopsticker.com